Rail-joint.



C. H. BEUTLER. RAIL mm APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10 1909.

953,583, Patented. Ma.r.29,1910.

and; i, mum 001 Puma-Wampum wmlucwu B a web of the body portion of therail.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFion CHRISTIAN H. 'BEUTLER, OF MOUND TOWNSHIP,MCPHERSON COUNTY, KANSAS.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

Application filed September 10, 1909. Serial No. 517,175.

1 office address is Moundridge,) have invented a new and usefulRail-Joint, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in rail joints and its object is toprovide one of the scarf type which may be readily produced andassembled at a small cost, which will be strong and durable, and whichwill hold the abutting ends of two rails in perfect alinement so thatthey cannot shift laterally or vertically.

lVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafterfully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 is top plan view of a rail joint constructedin accordancc with my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; and Fig. 3is a vertical cross section taken on the plane indicated by the line 33in Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 1 and 2 denote two trackrails having their intermediate or body portions of ordi naryconstruction, and their ends united by my improved scarf joint. Inproducing this joint 1 enlarge transversely, as shown at 3, the webportion of the rail 1 at one end of the latter and I cut away or removethe 0pposite side portions of both the head, web and base flanges of therail at this end to provide the two recesses i, 5, and the centrallydisposed. tongue 6. The recess 4: is approximately two thirds of thelength of the recess 5, and in width said recesses are approximatelyone'third of the thickness of the enlarged end 3 of the rail, so thatthe thickness or width of the tongue 6 is onethird the width'of the head1 of the rail and substantially the same as the thickness of tge T eother rail 2 has its adjacent end enlarged transversely at its webportion, as shown at' 7 and in thisenlarged end of the rail is formedthe longitudinally extending, centrally arranged, vertical recess orslot 8 for the reception of the tongue 6, said slot 8 forming two sideportions 9, 10, which are of unequal length and adapted to enter theshort and longrecesses 4:, 5, inthe sides of the enlarged end of therail 1. Owing to this peculiar manner of shaping the enlarged ends ofthe two rails so that they fit into each other and have overlappedportions at the joint, the track will not be reduced in strength at thejoint because of the central arrangement of the tongue 6 and theenlarged side portions or plates 7, 8.

To retain the rails in engaged or interlocked position a pair oftransverse openings are formed in the tongues 6 and a third transverseopening is formed in the enlarged portion 3 of the rail 1. Similartransverseopenings are formed in the enlarged end of the rail 2 so as toregister with the first mentioned openings, and bolts or similarremovable fastenings 11, 12, 13, are passed through said openings, asclearly shown in the drawing. These transverse bolts in passing throughthe web portions of the overlapped ends of the jointed rails effectivelyunite the latter so that they cannot shift vertically with respect toeach other and cause an uneven surface on the tread of the track at thejoint.

It will be understood that each track rail in a track constructed inaccordance with my invention has at one end one of the tongues 6, and atits other end a removable groove or slot 8 for the reception of thetongue on the next adjacent track rail.

From the foregoing it will. be seen that the invention may be producedat a small cost and may be quickly and easily assembled to provide aneffective joint. The peculiar shape and proportions of the overlappedparts of the joint renders the latter exceedingly strong and rigid sothat the track will not be weakened at the joint and the sections willbe held in perfect alinement.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is: v

The herein described rail joint comprising a pair of T-shaped railshaving their web portions transversely enlarged at their adj acent endsto render said enlargedweb portions of the same width as the headportions of the rails, one of said rails having the opposite sides ofits enlarged web and head portions formed with long and short recessesextending inwardly from the extremity of the rail and from the bottom tothe top of the same, said recesses forming a longitudinally extendingtongue disposed in the plane of the longitudial axis of said rail, theother rail having its end formed with a lon itudinal slot extendingverticall from the ottom to the top of the rail and t rough its enlargedWeb portion and the head,'said slot forming tWo side portions, one ofthe latter being of less length than the other whereby they Will enterthe long and short recesses mentioned in the first rail When the tongueof the latter enters said slot, a pair of bolts passed transverselythrough said tongue on one rail and the side portions of the other inrail, and a third bolt passed through the long side portion of onerailand the opposing portion of the other rail, as shown and described. 7

CHRISTIAN H. BEUTLER. lVitnesses:

ADoLPI-J: S. BEUTLER,

LEE H. RINGWALD.

